Symposium on systems of financial secrecy: summary report

In February 2024, Open Ownership and the LSE International Inequalities Institute co-organised a Symposium on Systems of Financial Secrecy, with support from the Atlantic Fellows for Social & Economic Equity (AFSEE) .

The symposium gathered some 50 people in London, UK, and over 100 attendees online, convening academics and practitioners working on a cross-section of issues relating to systems of financial secrecy. By systems of financial secrecy we mean the structures, actors and practices that allow activities such as tax avoidance, tax evasion and money-laundering to take place and to go undetected.

Presenters shared recent and ongoing research and discussed relevant policy developments. The symposium curated speakers from across multiple disciplines and sectors with the aim of identifying and strengthening linkages between different approaches to research and practice on financial secrecy. This report summarises key points made by speakers, moderators and discussants. The report also contains links to the presentations and research that was presented discussed, as well as biographies of speakers.